Before the War
by TealGurl
Summary: A WIP collection of fluffy ficlets about the relationship between Simon and Betty before a certain crown came into their lives.


Oh, of _course._

"C'mon…"

Simon Petrikov let out a low, frustrated groan as his car sputtered back to a dead halt, turning the key in the ignition once more even though he knew full well that it would do no good.

It all led back to the same dead end, an endless loop of fleeting hope when it rumbled to life...and then despairing annoyance when it gave out.

The leather seat creaked a bit as he leaned back into it, stiff from the cold, cheeks puffing out with a heavy breath, the heat causing his glasses to fog up.

Well, _now what?_

The library had just closed, the nearest phone would be at a bank half a mile down the road, the winter streets were far too iffy to risk walking, and his cell phone was every bit as dead as his hopes for a nice evening.

With a weary sigh, he shoved his car door open and stepped back out, shoving his hands back into his pockets in an attempt to keep them warm, inwardly cursing himself for forgetting gloves. He clenched them into fists, painfully aware of just how numb they were becoming.

He kicked at a few icicles dangling from the bottom edge of the vehicle, watching them fall into the waiting slush in an almost-depressed sort of absence of mind.

"Uh, hey!" Came a soft, near-shy voice from behind, snapping him out of his trance. "Simon?"

Simon turned to look at his potential-benefactress, becoming a bit flustered when he recognized the redheaded woman who stared back from behind pointed glasses.

"_Betty?_" His face was already flushed from being out in the cold for so long, but now it seemed to be catching fire as he stammered out, "W-wow, I haven't… I haven't seen you since high school,"

She was unable to help a little laugh as she walked to stand next to him, hugging herself in an attempt to stay warm.

"Do you, ah… need a hand?"

"Uh, n-no… Well, yes but-"

Her smile broadened in amusement at his clear embarrassment, though certainly not in an unkind way. Simon couldn't quite help staring at her face, taking in every last detail. The way perfect little snowflakes would catch in her hair and thick eyelashes, lingering a moment before melting. The way her nose wrinkled just a bit when she smiled. The way her breath billowed gracefully from her full lips.

"What's the problem?"

"Huh? O-oh, dead battery!" He blurted out awkwardly, gesturing to the front of his car with the nod of a head.

"Do you have cables? I could give you a jump start."

He sighed, shoulders slumping a bit. "No, afraid I don't. Really, uh, need to invest in that…"

"Oh…" She said softly, with little-to-no detectable emotion caught in her tone. "Well, is there anything else I can do?"

"Actually…"

...

"Okay… See ya in a bit. Bye." He ended the call and handed Betty back her phone, somehow managing a fully-coherent thanks this time. "Well… Thanks for all the help, Betty. A friend of mine's going to come help me out…"

"Do you want me to… I dunno, stay here while you wait? In case something happens?"

"Oh no, you don't have to do that!" He blurted out, inwardly slapping himself for making it sound like he wanted her to leave. _Why was he so bad at this?_

"You sure?" She questioned, surprising him with the sheer amount of concern in her kind voice. "I...I mean it's _freezing_ out here and…"

"I'll be fine," Simon reassured quickly, pulling a hand out of his pocket to awkwardly run it through his hair. Her face fell into an unreadable expression.

"You don't even have gloves?"

"Well… No, but-"

She had already started tugging off her own, choosing to make herself deaf to his protests and clear hesitance as she muttered to herself, "If you're going to wait out here for lord knows how long…" With an embarrassed smile, she held them out. "...I mean, I know they're pink and all, but… At least take these so your fingers don't fall off."

He opened his mouth to decline the gift, but changed his mind and took them gratefully.

"Thanks," The antiquarian mused genuinely, matching her own smile. "Really!"

"It was nice talking to you," She returned, turning a bit to the side while her flush deepened. "I wish there was more I could do, but.. Maybe… Maybe we could do this again sometime? I mean, get together again?"

He couldn't help the way his eyes widened, stunned by the question that he had been too afraid to ask himself, thrust into a stupor by the fact that _this was actually happening._

"Really? W-wow, I'd love to!" He finally managed in an enthusiastic stammer. She fumbled around in her pockets for a scrap of paper and asked for a pen, hardly able to scribble the numbers down fast enough before she thrust it into his hand.

"Call me sometime soon?"

"Y-yeah! Of course!"

"I...guess I'll see you later then…"

Betty offered a final, timid wave before climbing into her car and starting the engine. He watched her drive off, returning the departing gesture, smiling the whole time.

Simon hardly noticed the wait for his rescuer to arrive, simply letting his daydreamy thoughts off their chain for a while. Nor did he notice the chugging of his friend's ridiculous diesel truck as it pulled in, hardly offering more than a glace of acknowledgement when he walked over.

"Nice gloves, Simon."

He looked down at the piece of paper fluttering in his hand, then carefully tucked it into his pocket with a faint hint of a smile.

"You have no idea…"


End file.
